The girls outperformed the boys at tasks such as simple subtraction and complex multiplication, and solved number patterns more efficiently.

The results also showed boys triumphed at mentally rotating three-dimensional images, meaning they have better spatial skills than girls.

Dr Xinlin Zhou, professor at ­Beijing Normal University, said: “People have always thought that males’ advantage is in maths and spatial skills, and girls’ advantage is in language. But some teachers in China say girls do arithmetic better than boys in primary school.”

Some teachers in China say girls do arithmetic better than boys in primary school

Professor at ­Beijing Normal University Dr Xinlin Zhou

The research, published in the journal Psychological Science, found girls were also better at judging whether two words rhymed, which may explain better arithmetic performance as verbal skills are required in written questions.

Dr Zhou added: “Arithmetic and even advanced maths need verbal processing. Better language skills could lead to more efficient verbal processing in arithmetic.”

He hopes these results will help boys and girls in learning maths by being more aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.